Nothbank Beer Week's Beyond the Bun Bold Brews and MADDogs

I had the immense pleasure of attending the Beyond the BUN Bold Brews and MADdogs beer and food tasting at Fortside Brewing for Northbank Beer week. This event was a 5-course dinner with every dish having a pairing with one of Fortside’s beers.

MADdogs food cart right outside of Fortside Brewing

I tried to prepare myself during the day by coming VERY hungry. The first course was puffs made with gruyere, bratwurst, and pesto wrapped in puff pastry and served with Hop Gold Lager. A nice beer that had a crisp flavor along with the melted cheese and brat.

I loved the salad that was served next. It was a play with a Chicago dog and included the pickled Sport Peppers. A few of my fellow diners decided to try the pepper whole and were not expecting the heat. I nibbled on mine and at mixed them into the salad. The honey dijon dressing paired perfectly with the citrus in Fortside’s Orange Whip.

Next was the curry that paired brilliantly with MADDogs chicken apple sausage and Fortside’s Flagship IPA. The curry heated up the more you ate, but the hops in the IPA cooled my mouth back down to eat some more.

After the curry, we were treated to a brewery tour! Mike and Mark broke us up into groups and showed us around.

Back in the tasting room, we were treated to the main dish. A Polish kielbasa with IPA soaked onions and apples. Following the theme of very traditional Oktoberfest meal, we got to have the Fortfest Oktoberfest as its partner. The sweet and caramelly taste of the beer was ideal with the flavor of the kraut and kielbasa.

An addon treat? A tasting of Lupinator that has been sitting in barrels for three years!

No dinner is complete without dessert! I thought I was full, until an apple stuffed honey bun and one of my favorite brews appeared befor me. The malty, aged Barrel-Fied is a desser treat in itself, but the sweet and tart honeybun just capped off the night for me.